This invention relates to user controlled incontinence devices for males and more particularly to an indwelling catheter with a magnetically operable drainage valve.
Male urinary incontinence is a common problem that can arise from muscle weakness, post-operative surgical damage to the urinary sphincter or a variety of other debilitating problems. Thus far there have been no satisfactory surgical procedures for correcting incontinence to the extent that bladder control is substantially restored.
Some known devices that deal with the problem of male incontinence include a urethral catheter that allows the bladder to continuously drain into a collection bag without enabling the user to control urinary discharge. Such devices thus limit the physical activity of the user.
Other known devices which address the problem of male incontinence attempt some form of drainage control and include user controlled valves, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,331,371; 3,768,102; 4,026,298 and 4,350,161.
The foregoing patents require manipulation of a valve through the penis in order to place the valve in an open position to permit urinary flow. Occasionally the manipulation of the penis that is intended to actuate a valve into an open position to permit urinary discharge may cause pain or may constrict the urethral passage and impede bladder drainage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,841 shows a magnetically controlled valve installed near the bladder. The valve is actuated into an open condition by an external battery powered magnetic activating device packaged in a relatively large housing making it cumbersome and unwieldy to use. Such device inhibits the activity of the user since it is necessary to have access to the magnetic actuator in order to drain the bladder. The user must thus carry the magnetic activator with him at all times or confine his activities to a location where a magnetic activator is available for use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,495,620 also shows a magnetic valve arrangement requiring external actuation of the valve by a battery powered magnetic activator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,670 shows a magnetically activated binary duct valve with two valve seats that respectively correspond to open and closed positions of the valve. The valve is actuated by an external magnet into the open or closed position. However there is no automatic shutoff of fluid flow when urinary discharge is completed. Thus a user may inadvertently forget to actuate the valve from its open position to its closed position. A further problem is that the user may be unable to detect when he has actuated the valve into a closed position, and may think he has the valve in a closed position while it is actually in an open position.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,419,008; 3,926,175; 3,939,821 and 4,024,855 relate to magnetically actuated valve clamps that pinch or clamp a body passage, such as a urethra, into a closed condition. Such devices require surgical implantation of a clamping device and cannot be easily removed for repair or replacement.
It is thus desirable to provide a user controlled incontinence device having a drainage valve which can be actuated without manipulation, without batteries, wiring arrangements or other bulky, cumbersome accessories that inhibit the activity of the user. It is further desirable to provide a user controlled incontinence device which is magnetically actuatable to an open position to permit urinary drainage and automatically reverts to a closed position when the magnetic actuation is removed.